Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Regional party donations jump threefold to Rs 1,050 crore: ADR
A group called the Association for Democratic Reforms checks on money given to political parties in India.
It found that regional parties received a lot more money this year than last year.
The amount jumped from about Rs 348 crore to over Rs 1,051 crore.
The DMK party got the most money.
Most of its donations came from people whose names were not shared.
Big companies gave most of the money to these parties.
Individual people gave the largest number of donations, but their money made up a small share.
Many donations had no PAN details, and cash donations grew sharply.
Electoral trusts gave the biggest single donations.
The group says money from undeclared donors is a concern.
Declared donations above Rs 20,000 to regional parties rose over threefold to Rs 1,051.56 crore in 2024-25 from Rs 347.69 crore in 2023-24.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) topped the recipient list with Rs 365.78 crore, including Rs 300.64 crore from undeclared donors.
Corporate and business houses donated Rs 644.93 crore in 2024-25, accounting for over 62 per cent of total contribution value across the two years.
Donations from undeclared donors surged from Rs 6.62 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 302.67 crore in 2024-25, nearly 29 per cent of the total value.
Prudent Electoral Trust was the largest donor, contributing Rs 434 crore through 38 donations over the two financial years.
- Who
- Regional political parties in India, led by the DMK, and the Association for Democratic Reforms, which released the report.
- What
- Declared donations to regional parties jumped over threefold to Rs 1,051.56 crore in 2024-25, with sharp rises in undeclared, cash, and no-PAN donations.
- When
- Financial year 2024-25, compared with 2023-24; the report was released on Thursday.
- Where
- India, covering donations to regional parties including the Tamil Nadu-based DMK.
- Why
- The report was released to track political funding and flagged concerns over the sharp increase in undeclared and cash donations.
- Reporting body
- Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR)
- Total donations 2024-25
- Rs 1,051.56 crore (up from Rs 347.69 crore)
- Top recipient
- DMK with Rs 365.78 crore
- Undeclared donor share
- Nearly 29% of total donation value in 2024-25
- Corporate share
- Over 62% of total value across 2023-24 and 2024-25
- Largest donor
- Prudent Electoral Trust with Rs 434 crore
- Donations without PAN (2024-25)
- Rs 329.58 crore, over 31% of total
- Cash donations (2024-25)
- Rs 301.44 crore, up from Rs 6.54 crore